Iran Detains Hundreds On Suspicion Of Spying For Israel
Iranian security forces have detained more than 700 people on suspicion of spying for Israel, according to the Fars News Agency.
Fars, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said the arrests have taken place since June 13, when Israel launched a broad air campaign targeting Iranian military, nuclear, and government-related sites and figures.
Iran says more than 600 people were killed — a figure that has not been independently verified — in the strikes, including civilians. In response, Iranian retaliatory attacks reportedly killed dozens of Israelis, among them civilians.
Fars referred to the detainees as 'mercenaries,' despite none having been formally charged or tried. It also claimed they 'were mainly operating within espionage and sabotage networks' and were 'identified and arrested based on tip-offs and intelligence operations.'
The arrests come amid a period of heightened security concerns inside Iran. In recent years, Israel is widely believed to have carried out a series of high-profile assassinations and sabotage missions deep within Iran, revealing significant infiltration of the country's security and intelligence services.
These breaches have triggered purges, internal investigations, and growing mistrust within Iran's security institutions.
Since the onset of the current conflict, which paused following a U.S.-brokered cease-fire on June 24, Iran has also accelerated the execution of prisoners convicted of collaborating with Israel — actions condemned by rights groups including Amnesty International.
'Official calls for expedited trials and executions of those arrested for alleged collaboration with Israel show how the Iranian authorities weaponize the death penalty to assert control and instill fear among the people of Iran,' Hussein Baoumi, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said in a June 21 statement.
'A rush to execute people after torture-tainted 'confessions' and grossly unfair trials would be a horrifying abuse of power and a blatant assault on the right to life,' he added.
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34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US and China prepare to extend tariff pause after Stockholm talks
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39 minutes ago
Louisiana GOP senator's office asked ICE to release Marine Corps veteran's wife
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
US-China tariff talks may provide clues on a possible Trump-Xi meeting
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Other issues on the agenda include access of American businesses to the Chinese market; Chinese investment in the U.S.; components of fentanyl made in China that reach U.S. consumers; Chinese purchases of Russian and Iranian oil; and American steps to limit exports of Western technology — like chips that help power artificial intelligence systems. The talks ended for the day after nearly five hours on Monday, and were set to reconvene on Tuesday morning. 'Large and confident partner' Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator and now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said that Trump's team would face challenges from 'a large and confident partner that is more than willing to retaliate against U.S. interests.' Rollover of tariff rates 'should be the easy part,' she said, warning that Beijing has learned lessons since the first Trump administration and 'will not buy into a one-sided deal this time around.' 'Beijing is more prepared and will insist on movement on U.S. tech export controls at a minimum — a difficult ask for Washington,' she said, adding that many conversations will take place in the lead-up to any Xi-Trump summit. 'Success is far from guaranteed," Cutler said. 'There are numerous trip wires that can throw a wrench in this preparatory process.' The U.S.-China trade talks are the third this year, nearly four months after Trump upended global trade with his sweeping tariff proposals, including an import tax that shot up to 145% on Chinese goods. China retaliated with tariffs reaching 125% against U.S. goods, sending global financial markets into a temporary tailspin. Extending a 90-day pause The Stockholm meeting, following similar talks in Geneva and London, is set to extend a 90-day pause on those tariffs. During the hiatus, U.S. tariffs have been lowered to 30% on Chinese goods, and China set a 10% tariff on U.S. products. The Trump administration, which just completed a deal on tariffs with the European Union, wants to reduce a trade deficit of $904 billion overall last year, including a nearly $300 billion trade deficit with China. China's Commerce Ministry said last week that the 'consultations' would raise shared concerns through the principles of 'mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.' The talks with Beijing are part of a flurry of U.S. trade negotiations set off by Trump's arm-twisting 'Liberation Day' tariffs against dozens of countries. Since then, some talks have borne fruit in reaching deals. Others have not. Without an extension by Aug. 12, the tit-for-tat U.S.-China tariffs could snap back to the triple-digit levels seen before the 90-day pause reached in Geneva. Many other countries — including some developing ones that depend on exports to the U.S. — face a deadline of Friday, as the Trump administration has said that letters will go out beforehand with set rates. Critics say Trump's tariffs penalize Americans by forcing U.S. importers to shoulder the costs or pass them on to consumers through higher prices. Suggestion of stability On Friday, Trump told reporters that 'we have the confines of a deal with China' — just two days after Bessent told MSNBC that a 'status quo' had been reached between the two sides. While the Chinese side has offered little guidance about the specifics of its aims in Stockholm, Bessent has suggested that the situation has stabilized to the point that China and the U.S. can start looking toward longer-term balance between their economies. For years, since China vaulted into the global trading system about two decades ago, the United States has sought to press leaders in Beijing to encourage more consumption in China and wrest greater market access to foreign-made — including American — goods. Other sticking points in the relationship include overcapacity in China — by far the world's largest manufacturer — and concerns about whether Beijing is doing enough to control chemicals used to make fentanyl, analysts say. In Stockholm, the Chinese will likely demand the removal of a 20% fentanyl-related tariff that Trump imposed earlier this year, said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based Stimson Center. Looking long-term Experts say long-term progress in the U.S.-China trade relationship will hinge on structural changes. Those include increased manufacturing in the United States, which is part of Trump's ambition. On the Chinese side, that could involve a reduction of excess Chinese production in many industries, including electric vehicles and steel, and increased Chinese consumer spending to ease imbalances in China's export-driven economy. Sean Stein, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said the the talks in Stockholm offer an opportunity for the two governments to address structural reform issues. Businesses will watch for clues about a possible Trump-Xi summit, because any real deal will depend on a meeting between the pair, he said. A deal is possible because 'a lot of the things that the U.S. wants, the Chinese want as well,' Stein said. China, for example, is interested in buying U.S. soybeans, and aircraft and parts, and Chinese businesses are interested in investing in U.S. manufacturing — which would help meet Trump's goal of reindustrialization. Bessent has also said the Stockholm talks could address Chinese purchases of Russian and Iranian oil. ___ Didi Tang and Josh Boak in Washington, and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
